COMPARE ROMANS THREE WITH ROMANS SEVEN

COMPARE ROMANS THREE WITH ROMANS SEVEN

 

This is a very easy comparison to make to clear up any confusion about who has "eternal life", and who is still a "sinner". The book of Romans was written by the man who was known as Saul of Tarsus who met Jesus on the Damascus road one day and had a transformation experience to become the apostle Paul who wrote the Letter to the Romans plus many other letters that are all part of our NT scriptures. You can read of his conversion experience in (Acts 9:1-9), so he knows what he is talking about. No one in their right mind can possibly read (Rom 3:9-26) and not realize that they have been a sinner in God's eyes since birth. Only people who have been brought up believing certain lies of Satan that they can be become a Christian by doing certain good works like going to church and being "religious" etc. Jesus told a very religious man in (John 3:1-8) that he must be "born again" to be part of God's Kingdom and go to heaven when he died. A careful read through chapters 5 and 6 of Romans will show anyone clearly what happens when we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and be baptized in water. We become a new creation in Jesus as Paul declares later in (2 Cor 5:17), this we refer to as the "New Birth" and is absolutely a necessary step to becoming a follower of Jesus as Paul did and went on to become one of the greatest of the early apostles.

 

But even Paul still had a problem with his "flesh nature" as revealed in chapter 7. When we are born again our old "sin nature" that we inherited from Adam died with Jesus on the cross and was buried by our baptism in water. But our flesh nature is with us until we die physically, and this is what Paul was describing in chapter 7. So in chapter 8 he explains how to have victory over the "flesh", read (Rom 8:1-11) to see how to maintain the victory in the Christian life. Unfortunately many people who only think they are true Christians are not, because they have never been "born again" and still remain in their original sinful condition. I believe a simple reading of these chapters of Romans would clearly show them how easy it is to know without any doubt, where you stand with God. We know that He is not willing that any should perish but that all come to accept eternal life in Christ Jesus the Lord and Savior. But every one of us is given a "free will" with which to make choices. The "wise choice" is to choose Jesus and be assured of eternal life with Him and His Father, and the "foolish choice" is simply to not make the wise choice and suffer the consequences!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                  19/11/12

SOUL TIES

SOUL TIES

 

This expression can be thought of as the complete opposite to one made famous by Anne of Green Gables. Her expression I refer to was "kindred spirits", used to explain her relationship with certain "special friends". One has to do with our soul realm, and the other with the spiritual. Many people confuse these two, since they both deal with the invisible realm, as opposed to the visible, material world we live in! Our spirit and soul are so closely related that only the word of God can separate the two. (Heb 4:12).

 

Our "soul" is composed of our mind, will and emotions, and is that part of us we use to communicate with each other. Our spirit on the other hand is that part of us reserved for communication with Father God. Since the fall of Adam, recorded in Gen 3, the human spirit has been "dead in trespasses and sin" (Eph 2:1), and needs to be "born again", or "made alive" in Christ before we can have a relationship with our Creator. The unregenerate man can communicate with other humans, but not with God.

 

What we mean by "soul ties", are sometimes unhealthy relationships we can enter into with other people that lead to bondage. They are often in the sensual realm, and often involve sexual activity, or at least close emotional relationships. Once formed these ties are most difficult, if not impossible to break. We often hear of two people who formed this type of soul tie when they were young, and then perhaps after 30 or 40 years and each married to different spouses, they meet each other and before they know it are involved in an illegitimate emotional or sexual affair. This is the root cause of many divorces today, even in the church. Like any other sin, the only way to break a soul tie is to confess it as sin, repent of it, and ask Jesus to set you free from it. Better still we should never enter into any close emotional relationship with another human being, unless we know it to be "in the Lord", and with His complete approval.

 

This is a vital lesson for young people to learn before they start to establish relationships with members of the opposite gender, .or even unhealthy ties with members of the same gender! We refer to these as "gender issues", which can, and often do, lead to homosexuality in males, or lesbianism in females. This is a major problem in our modern culture!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                             4/10/11

 

ADVICE TO YOUNG PARENTS

ADVICE TO YOUNG PARENTS

I have observed many young couples, especially first time parents, who would welcome some advice from a grandfather who has been around for awhile. I certainly don't consider myself as any sort of an expert in this field, only an observer. The first thing I would like you to consider is the great privilege it is to be chosen by God to be allowed to parent a new infant that has been created in His image. And although new born babies appear on the outside to be perfect little angels, on the inside they are really just small sized "sinners" who carry the original sinful nature passed down from Adam. It is important to realize this fact up front, and that God has given you the "responsibility" of training up this child to love and follow Him. This starts from the moment of conception when the sperm from the father meets the egg from the mother. Even though our government may not acknowledge that the child is a person before they leave the womb, God's Word proves them wrong. So start praying daily for this child from the moment you find out you are pregnant. Their spirit is alive even while their body is still in the process of being formed. (Ps 139:13-16). So never stop praying for them, and pray out loud so they can get used the hearing the sound of your voices. And that includes you dads especially it will help you to bond with them when you meet in person.

 

Fathers have a definite role the play from day one, so realize your responsibility as a dad. I could never understand how a guy could get his girlfriend pregnant and then force her to have an abortion. Such a guy may be male in gender, but definitely not a "man" in my opinion. If he were a real man he would accept his responsibility to the mother by giving her and the child his name and a home. Dads, your responsibility as the priest of your family is to pray daily for this child even when they are sleeping, as a couple you can enter their bedroom and quietly pray over them. And start while they are young to teach them the Bible Stories about Jesus, and make Him a natural part of your discussions around the home. Never leave this part of their lives to the Church and Sunday school to care for. Sure that should be part of their training, but remember the responsibility before God rests with you as Godly parents. These are only a few things I have observed in my lifetime that should be learned by parents, but apparently they have never been taught by their parents or their church, So please accept these comments from me as suggestions, and not rules you should follow. The Holy Spirit has been given to you as your Comforter and Guide!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                   04/10/12

THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE THEORY

THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE THEORY

 

This term became popular early in the 20^th century among the Evangelical Denominational churches. Since I started to use a "face value" method of understanding scripture in 2001, this is one of the first of many church doctrines that I believed and taught to others, that became clear to me as a "false teaching". As near as I can understand, it was an offspring of an unholy "marriage" between two equally false teachings that had previously come into the "church". One was the so-called belief in a "Secret Rapture" that had its start in a vision or a trance that a young 15 year girl had in 1832 in a charismatic group in Scotland, where she apparently saw Jesus come back secretly in the clouds to rapture those who were ready to meet him in the air. It became known as the secret rapture, and was promoted and make popular by the "Plymouth Brethren" in England under the leadership of a Bible teacher by the name of John Darby. Then Dr C I Schofield published the first edition of his Bible in 1907, which introduced the theory that all of history could be divided into seven "dispensations", starting with 1/ Innocence, 2/ Conscience or Moral Responsibility, 3/ Human Government, 4/ Promise, 5/ Law, 6/ Church, 7/ Kingdom. Of course since we know that God only has two clearly defined divisions in His Word, the Old and the New covenants, or we use the word Testaments meaning the same thing. Jesus makes this distinction clear in (Matt 11:11) where He places John the Baptist as the man whose ministry divides between the OT and the NT!

 

 So when the secret rapture was combined with a theory that teaches each dispensation must close before the next one can start, plus the fear of still being here on earth when the "Antichrist" makes his appearance, we see how this false teaching really told people just what they wanted to hear! So the introduction of this Pre-tribulation Rapture theory in the early 1900's became very popular, and easy to believe in. Certain well known Bible teachers and the authors of the "Left Behind" series of novels and tapes have presented this doctrine as if it is based on scripture, and many sincere believers have been deceived. They need to heed the advice given in (Acts 17:11) to be like the believers in Berea. Thank God for the introduction of the "Prewrath Rapture" teaching in the late 1980's by a man named Robert Van Kampen, which sets the rapture solidly into scripture!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                                              01/02/12   

 

THE RESTRAINER

THE RESTRAINER

 

One of the key points in the teaching that Jesus will rapture His Church before the last 7 year period, known as "Daniel's 70th week" (Dan 9:24-27), is that the Holy Spirit, who resides in believers, is the "Restrainer" mentioned by Paul in (2 Thess 2:7). This has been taken as a "proof text" to fit in with their theory of a "secret rapture". The Holy Spirit is defined by Jesus, as fulfilling different roles in the life of believers when He comes, but restrainer is not one of them! Check it out for yourself in chapters 14, 15, and 16 of the Gospel of John, where the words of Jesus are recorded. Depending on which translation you use, you will find words such as, Advocate, Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Strengthener,----but not Restrainer. This role for Him has been added to scripture by those who are trying to prove that the Church will not go through the time of "great tribulation" at the hands of the Antichrist, during the last half of this 7 year period. Various scriptures clearly teach this, including the words of Jesus, Paul, and John, and yet these people invent a theory that attempts to prove their false teaching!

 

There is only one person mentioned in scripture, that I am aware of, who could fill this role of restraining evil until the time set by God to let the Antichrist start his persecution of Israel and the Church. That person is the archangel "Michael", who has been given the specific task of protecting God's people, as mentioned many times in scripture. The most important reference, relating to the subject at hand, would have to be (Dan 12:1), where he is confirmed as the one who protects the nation of Israel. At the middle of this 7 year period, we are told he will "arise", and then the Antichrist will begin his reign of terror against the people of God (Rev 13:5-10). The word here translated arise, or stand up, in most English translations could be translated as "stand still", since it is the same root word that is used to describe the miracle of the sun and the moon stopping, or standing still, so that Joshua and his warriors could complete the battle against their enemy. (Josh 10:13) By letting scripture explain scripture, we can often prevent being led into error by those who are trying to prove some theory. Let's keep in mind that God must allow His Church to be purified, and changed from their present condition, before they are ready to be raptured! This purification can only come about through a time of persecution, such as much of the Church are already experiencing in other parts of the world! Why should God exempt the church in our Western world, and keep us from this time of persecution, that He has planned to make us ready to be raptured? That doesn't make any sense to me!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                revised 27/09/12

 

THE BLOOD OF JESUS

THE BLOOD OF JESUS

 

"And I know, yes I know, Jesus' blood can make the vilest sinner clean". These words are part of an old hymn that we don't hear sung much anymore. Our modern "worship" songs written in the last few years, hardly ever mention the cross or the blood of Jesus that was shed there. In fact the blood of Jesus and what it accomplished for lost sinners is not mentioned much in most churches today. Most church goers only hear things that make them "feel good" and not necessarily what they need to hear. Actually many people fail to realize that they are sinners who need a Savor, because they are not familiar with the Bible. If they only casually read (Rom 3:9-26) they would know beyond any shadow of doubt that we are all born into this world as little lost sinners. But thankfully Paul addresses this problem and gives the answer in (Eph 2:1-10), a scripture that is easily understood by anyone. Most people who are not alcoholics, addicted to tobacco or drugs etc, don't see themselves as "sinners". They probably go to church and pay tithes and consider themselves as "religious", but unless they are actually "born again" and have been adopted by Father into His Forever Family, and have received the Holy Spirit they are not part of the "Family of God".

 

Most people who have never been involved in some serious crime or have been breaking some moral issue like "adultery" really don't consider themselves as sinners, because "everybody does it", as if that makes it OK. The fact of the matter is that our Creator God has a book called the "Bible" that contains all the rules and regulations that He expects us to obey in order to live lives that will please Him. Until we realize this our life can never be completely fulfilled. Because God always has a unique plan for each life, we need to "press on" to find "that thing" which He had in mind for you when you were born. (Phil 3:12) Some people go through their entire life still looking for this "destiny" which seems to continually escape them. They need to accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, and then depend on the Holy Spirit to daily lead them. This is part of God's plan for every human being on earth, and the sooner we find out about it, the sooner we can start to enjoy life as He planned it. Our world is under the control of the devil who Jesus tells us is a "liar and the father of lies" and there is "no truth in him". (John 8:44). But as a contrast to this, Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). The choice is ours to make, who will we believe and follow?

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                                       03/10/12

LIFE IS SHORT--FISH HARD

LIFE IS SHORT---FISH HARD

 

I just read an article by this title written by a faithful brother from another ministry. It is patterned after a Nike slogan "Life is short, Play hard" and of course the words of Jesus to His followers "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men". (Mark 1:17). As followers of Jesus today, this should be our slogan too, don't you think? No one knows how much time we have left to accomplish what God has planned for us to do toward extending His Kingdom here on earth. But we can understand from the words of Paul in (Phil 3:10-16) that God had something in His mind for each of His children to do when He saved us. When we find "that" ministry that He had in mind for us to do, then this would be our "destiny" in life. I believe that many people have no ides what "that" is for their lives, and spend years in a job that they don't really like and are not at peace with the world. This peace must start with finding "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom 5:1) when we are "justified", or "just-as if-I'd" never sinned. We know from reading (Rom 3:9-26) that every living person has sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that the "wages of sin are death" (Rom 6:23) so everyone needs to come to the decision of believing in, and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior! 

 

That is the most important decision we will ever face in life, and that is "what will we do with Jesus"? Our eternal destination depends on the correct response to that question. According to God's Word there only two possible eternal destinations and the choice must be made while we are still alive. A choice to receive Jesus as Savior guarantees you a place in "heaven" when you die, with Jesus and Father God plus all the other righteous people who have gone before you. On the other hand a decision to not receive Jesus as Savior will guarantee you a place in "hell" with the devil and his fallen angels plus all the unrighteous sinners who has gone on before you! And remember God always leaves the choice up to us, since He has created us with a free will. When we consider the facts, and the truth of God's Word, our decision would certainly appear to be a "no brainer", but why do people falter between making a choice? The answer has to be because we have an enemy who hates us and wants to keep us from making the right decision. His name is Satan or the Devil, who Jesus calls "a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44) and he has many false prophets and teachers who only have one goal which is to bring people under "deception" and miss heaven!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                                                            18/09/12